Review Roundup: Epson Stylus Photo R800

Reviewers were highly enthusiastic about the Stylus Photo R800's ability to print sharp, brilliant color photos. The printer has none of the nice extras that other photo printers have, such as the ability to print directly from a camera or memory card, and it prints from a roll, which some users may find disconcerting. However, photo enthusiasts should definitely give this one some consideration.

Price: $399
Type: Color inkjet printer
Print Speed: Black: 17ppm; Color: 45 seconds for a 5x7 photo
Print Resolution: 5760 x 1440 (interpolated)
Special Features: Eight individual cartridges, including matte black ink and gloss optimizer; prints directly on CDs/DVDs

PC World Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

Liked: Produce[s] text that looked bold yet clean even at small sizes... Images printed on the R800 in the more-common RGB format looked gorgeous, with realistic textures, sharp detail, and strong, rich colors.

Disliked: Made a mess of narrow parallel lines...The photo sometimes printed too dark and appeared severely underexposed... The R800 doesn't win any medals for speed.

In Short: If you plan on printing a lot of snapshots, you'll appreciate the R800's roll feeder; and as long as you stick with RGB files, the R800 will reward you with great-looking photo prints..

CNET Review

Rating: 8 out of 10

Liked: Excellent print quality; relatively fast photo printing; flexible printer driver; no need to swap Matte Black and Photo Black cartridges.

Disliked: Doesn't handle changes in output resolution gracefully; no PictBridge support.

In Short: : Despite some finicky printhead behavior, this excellent printer earns an Editors' Choice for photo enthusiasts.

PC Magazine Review

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Liked: Photos are true photo quality; separate cartridge for each color; Epson's easiest approach yet for printing on printable CDs and DVDs.

Disliked: No memory card slots, even for transferring files to your PC; does not do direct printing at all; relatively slow for standard printing.

In Short: : With eight ink cartridges, including red, blue, and two variations of black, the Epson Stylus Photo R800 offers a large color gamut and true photo quality. It's also designed for easy printing on CDs and DVDs and can function as your single, all-purpose printer.

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